ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic and Gentag, Inc. have reached an agreement to develop the next generation of wearable biosensors designed to fight obesity and diabetes.

James Levine, M.D., Ph.D.

“We are hoping that this technology will be game-changer. These patch biosensors may help us reduce global obesity and diabetes,” says James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist and obesity researcher. “They are accurate, inexpensive, and can be integrated into the care people receive."

A first-of-its-kind, the wearable patch sensors are the size of a small bandage, and are designed to be painless, wireless and disposable. In the bandage is a sensor that communicates via a closed-loop diabetes management system which is compatible with cell phones. The system will allow researchers to monitor movement and develop treatments for obesity and related conditions.

March is National Nutrition Month. As Americans strive to better understand the new dietary recommendations set forth in the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, many struggle to best understand just what we are eating. Decoding food labels and food marketing buzz words can be a challenge, especially when so many of the terms are vague.

Donald Hensrud, M.D., offers insight on what some common terms such as whole, unprocessed, low fat and natural mean and how they affect our health.

And, he provides tips on how to shop a grocery store to find the most healthful food items, including vegetables, whole grain breads and pastas, brown rice, lean meats, fish, beans, low-fat dairy products and heart-healthy fats such as nuts and olive oils.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic reports a strong 2014 performance, including providing direct care for more than 1.3 million people, contributions of $410 million to its pension plan as a commitment to employees, and plans for a $1.5 billion investment to fund information technology infrastructure.

“Whether viewed through the lens of quality, patient outcomes, research advances, operational performance or sharing our knowledge with the world — by all measures, we had an extraordinary year,” says John Noseworthy, M.D., president and CEO, Mayo Clinic. “That success allowed us to reinvest in our people, our infrastructure and our mission so we can better serve our patients.”

Jeff Bolton

“As a nonprofit organization, it’s important for us to not only reinvest in our technology infrastructure, but also invest in our employees,” says Jeff Bolton, vice president, administration, Mayo Clinic. To that end, Mayo Clinic made an additional contribution of $190 million to its pension fund, bringing the total 2014 contribution to $410 million. This additional investment was necessary to ensure Mayo Clinic will meet its commitment to current and future retirees.

“Our financial performance gives us the flexibility to invest in new initiatives that will help our patients,” says Kedrick Adkins Jr., Mayo chief financial officer. These funds are committed to mission-advancing projects. The funding includes five areas of focus, Adkins says:

Employee pension plan: $410 million contribution in 2014. This includes an originally planned $220 million contribution and an additional $190 million contribution as a commitment to fully fund the pension plan for employees.

Practice innovation: approximately $200 million in 2014 which includes funding of Mayo’s three hybrid centers — individualized medicine, regenerative medicine and the science of health care delivery — as well as Mayo Clinic practice priorities and information knowledge management activities.

Education: $275 million in 2014 funding for educational activities.

Research: $648 million in 2014 funding for research activities — $276 million from Mayo and $372 million from external resources.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’ve had an awful cold for months. My doctor recommends that I be tested for chronic sinusitis. What would that involve? How is chronic sinusitis treated?

ANSWER: Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses, which are the air-containing pockets in the skull and facial bones around your nose. Chronic sinusitis develops when inflammation lasts for more than 12 weeks. Testing involves a visit to an ear, nose and throat, or ENT, doctor who will examine your sinuses. Most chronic sinusitis can be managed with medical therapy. However, if your symptoms or the inflammation do not respond to medical therapy, surgery may be necessary. The goal of treatment is to restore sinus health and function.

Symptoms of chronic sinusitis often resemble a cold. A cold is usually caused by a viral infection and is often accompanied by a runny or stuffed-up nose, sneezing, sore throat, watery eyes and a fever. This kind of acute viral sinusitis usually lasts seven to 10 days.

In rare instances, you may get a bacterial infection as a result of a cold, resulting in acute bacterial sinusitis. If that happens, cold symptoms get worse after seven to 10 days. You also may have yellow or green nasal drainage, pain in your face or teeth, and a fever. Acute sinusitis lasts up to four weeks. When symptoms persist for more than 12 weeks, you may have chronic sinusitis. But some cases of chronic sinusitis can develop subtly, without a preceding viral infection. Read the rest of this entry »

MANKATO, Minn. — Fall back, spring forward. We’ve all heard the saying, and it helps people remember which way to set their clocks for the start and end of Daylight Saving Time. Although it’d be nice to gain an hour of sleep twice a year, that’s not the case. Starting Sunday, March 8 at 2 a.m., we’ll all lose an hour. Altering your sleep schedule, or having poor sleep habits to begin with, can have a greater effect on your health than you may think.

Go to bed 15 minutes early, starting several days before the change, and increase by 15 minutes every couple of nights. Make an extra effort to be well-rested the week before the time change.

If you feel sleepy the Sunday after the change to Daylight Saving Time, take a short nap (15 to 20 minutes) in the early afternoon — not too close to bedtime. Assess how a nap affects your sleep quality. For some, napping can make nighttime sleeping harder. But for others, a short nap can be revitalizing without ruining their night's sleep.

Avoid sleeping in an hour longer in the morning.

In general, you should try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. This helps your body regulate its sleep. If possible, wake up at the same time on the weekends too, which makes Monday mornings easier to bear.

“Regardless of the time of year, proper sleep is an essential part of life,” says Dr. Yanci Torres. “There are many benefits to practicing good sleep health, as well as risks for cutting sleep too short.”

Breast density is the term used to describe the variation in dense tissue on a mammogram image. Fatty breast tissue appears more radiologically translucent than dense (fibroglandular) breast tissue. Regions of a breast that comprise fatty tissue will appear darker on a mammogram, while regions that comprise dense tissue appear whiter.

Increased breast density has been shown to mask cancers on the mammogram as well as to be associated with future risk of breast cancer. Recent legislation in several states mandates that women be given information about breast density in order to guide decisions about breast cancer screening.

Researchers conducted a national cross-sectional survey of 2,311 women ages 40 to 74 in English and Spanish. The survey response rate was 65 percent. Overall, more than half of women who responded (58 percent) had heard of breast density, 49 percent were aware that breast density affects breast cancer detection and 53 percent knew that breast density is associated with cancer risk.

Every week Bobbi Pritt, M.D., posts a new case, along with the answer to the previous case. Read Dr. Pritt's blog: Parasite Wonders and submit your answers, comments and questions. Enjoy science!

Note from Dr. Pritt:All opinions expressed here are mine and not my employer's. Information provided here is for medical education only. It is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice. I do not accept medical consults from patients.

If you are confused about what foods to eat and what to avoid to maintain a healthy lifestyle, don't worry. You are not alone. Remember the old food pyramid? It's time to rethink what we put on our plate and in our bodies.

The Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recently released a 571-page report that offers a new take on some previously thought nutritional data. The report is the primary body of literature that guides all recommendations on how Americans should eat and is targeted to those making nutritional policy in the U.S.

Donald D. Hensrud, M.D., says the report shows a continued emphasis on plant-based diets and less meat consumption. He stresses the guidelines change as new information and research becomes available, calling guidelines evolutionary, not revolutionary.

Guidelines recommendations include:

Increase plant-based diet

Consume less red and processed meat

An egg a day is okay

Less sugar consumption

Coffee and caffeine may have health benefits

Dr. Hensrud recommends the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid which emphasizes fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains along with lean protein from a variety of sources and a limit on sweets and salt.

Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Hensrud are available in the downloads, along with b-roll of examples of packaged food products (gluten-free, sugar sweeteners, beans, whole wheat)

Wed., Mar 4, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. CT

This webinar will cover a variety of stroke topics. Robert Brown, M.D, M.P.H., will discuss the prevention and diagnosis of stroke, and Giuseppe Lanzino, M.D., will talk about the surgical and non-surgical treatment options for stroke. Both physicians will answer questions after their presentations.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am a 37-year-old man and have no health problems, but both of my parents have heart disease. My dad had his first heart attack at age 50. Are there things I can do now to prevent it, or is heart disease inevitable for me because of my family history?

ANSWER: Based on your family history, your risk for heart attacks is higher than the risk of a person without that kind of history. But that does not mean heart attacks are inevitable. A thorough medical evaluation can help determine your specific risk of developing heart problems. You can also take steps to help protect your heart health, no matter what your risk level.

A family history of heart attacks — especially one in a parent younger than 55, as in your father’s situation — is a major risk factor for the type of heart disease known as coronary artery disease, sometimes called CAD. Coronary artery disease develops when the major blood vessels that supply your heart with blood, oxygen and nutrients — your coronary arteries — become damaged or diseased. Cholesterol-containing deposits, or plaques, and inflammation in your arteries are usually the source of coronary artery disease. There are many factors that may cause coronary artery disease, including high cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, smoking, obesity and high blood pressure, to mention some.